Little Bear Peak Trip Report 01/17/2012

Peak(s):	Little Bear Peak - 14,041 feet "South Little Bear" - 14,028 feet
Date Posted:	01/17/2012
Date Climbed:	01/14/2012
Author:	Kevin Baker

Little Bear Winter Ascent via SW Ridge:Will It Ever End?
Summitpost Report Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

RJansen77	Looks like a sufferfest indeed 1/18/2012 3:59am Very nice report. I've been toying with the idea of this route as opposed to the hourglass and they both appear to be rather unpleasant. Glad you guys were able to pull this off, we waved to you from Ellingwood!
Dancesatmoonrise	Cool. 1/18/2012 4:00am Kevin, you've been getting after it again! Sweet!! This is one of my favorite routes. Glad you got to enjoy it. Isn't this place incredible! Enjoyed your photos, and Darin's as well. Love the shot Darin got of you on the high edge above the SLV.
geojed	Cool report 1/18/2012 5:55am + 1 on the ”airy edge above SLV” pic
USAKeller	Photos... 1/18/2012 12:11pm Those are great photos! What camera do you use? Nicely done! If it took you 16 hours, I'd probably roll in around 20!
Kevin Baker	Pansasonic 1/18/2012 2:05pm USAKeller, I use a Pansasonic LX-5. The quality is just a hair below an SLR without the weight. The lens is awesome. It doesn't have a retractable lens though, so sometimes the lens gets dirty messing with the lens cap. Highly recommended camera!
Floyd	Looks like a great route. 1/18/2012 3:52pm I HATED the hourglass. If I ever climb that thing again, I'll have to check this one out.
jesse	Great job toughing it out. 1/18/2012 4:05pm Seems like this should almost be done with a high camp near treeline. Congrats on bagging little bear and S little bear in winter!
Papillon	It's a long way to the top... 1/18/2012 5:40pm if you wanna rock n roll. I gotta admit this was the first time I have taken sunrise and sunset shots on the same day. The grunt was long and the talus was endless but the views were superb. 15:40 was definitely worth it with this team. Thanks for the invite, Kevin. And thanks for including the summit group shot. I must admit my cross-legged pose is the perfect blend of arrogance and confidence. What a day! Papi out...
CRAIGO	Nazarene cuss words 1/18/2012 6:31pm That's hilarious!!! Nicely done on a difficult mountain.
d_baker	sore legs 1/18/2012 11:02pm My legs were sore for two days after this trip! That hasn't happened in a looong time! I don't think this route is worth repeating. The views along the ridge are cool; the relief of the San Luis valley below, and the perspective on Ellingwood, Twin Peaks, and LB is down right wicked. But, all the grunting/bushwacking and bumps of talus for a too short fun section, doesn't equate to a great route, imo. But the crew? The crew was great, and I wouldn't miss another chance to do another peak with them, any day! EDIT: Kevin B had good use of a GPS in the dark to find the TH, but the Paperson's and I did not. (We rode together to the TH.) We tried to use the directions that are on summitpost, but found them to be confusing. Woody looked online and found this trip report that helped a lot more!
wooderson	+1 on the crew 1/19/2012 4:26am The great company is what made this route tolerable and even fun! Despite my initial apprehension, I actually enjoyed the ridge and the traverse very much. And yes, the views are spectacular up there. Darin: Papi and I are game for another outing anytime. In fact, sounds like there's a fiesta in the making as we speak... 8) Kevin, thanks for capturing this memorable day (and night!) so eloquently. Hope to get out again with you soon!
Presto	Congratulations! 1/19/2012 3:08pm Way to get 'er done ... and, with a great group. Very nice photos. I especially like the one with Darin overlooking the San Luis valley ... I can feel the exposure. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to more from this group in the future. Happy trails!
Summit Lounger	Long Day 1/19/2012 4:17pm The company made the long day enjoyable and comical. The views were outstanding, especially the relief of the San Louis Valley. What is next?
tmathews	long days are long 1/20/2012 12:41am ~4:00 to 7:45? Man, this ridge kills everybody's climb times. Great write-up, Kevin, and congrats!
Papillon	Deceiving Terrain 1/20/2012 3:38am @Terry We got off the last talus hill and were chilling around some sparse trees. It was between 3:30 and 4:00 PM and Darin was saying we need to get off the talus before dark and I figured at that stage I might be back at the car with modus in hand as the sun went down. In retrospect, that is pretty laughable because we were still on some talus in the dark.

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